Signs of torture seen on hostage's body

Aid worker from Virginia found dead in Iraq.

Aid worker from Virginia found dead in Iraq.

March 12, 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- An aid worker from Virginia taken hostage with three other peace activists was found dead near a railroad line in Baghdad with gunshots to his head and chest and signs of torture on his body, Iraqi police said Saturday. Tom Fox, a 54-year-old member of Christian Peacemaker Teams from Clear Brook, Va., was the fifth American hostage killed in Iraq. There was no immediate word on his fellow captives, a Briton and two Canadians. The U.S. command in Baghdad confirmed that Fox's body was picked up by American forces on Thursday evening, although it provided no information on the condition. Interior Ministry Lt. Col. Falah al-Mohammedawi said Fox was found with his hands tied and gunshot wounds to his head and chest. There were cuts on his body and bruises on his head, indicating torture, he said. The corpse was dressed in Iraqi-made clothing. Fox's body was found near a railway line in Dawoudi, a mixed Sunni-Shiite area that has been largely shielded from violence. Shocked local residents on Saturday condemned Fox's abduction and killing. "These acts are terrorist ones and will hinder the political process and distort the reputation of Iraq," said Dhamir al-Samaraie. The previously unknown Swords of Righteousness Brigades claimed responsibility for kidnapping the four Christian Peacemaker Teams members, who disappeared Nov. 26. Three of them -- Canadians James Loney, 41, and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32; and Briton Norman Kember, 74 -- were seen in a video dated Feb. 28 that was broadcast Tuesday on Al-Jazeera television. At least 250 foreigners have been kidnapped in the nearly three years since U.S.-led forces invaded Iraq, and at least 40 have been killed.